Food & Nightlife
The quality and quantity of the dining opportunities and bars and pubs in
Queenstown New Zealand is fantastic! Queenstown gets the
Powderhounds rating of 5 out of 5 for restaurants and nightlife, and the Powderhounds have awarded Queenstown with
Best Skiing in New Zealand awards for dining, apres and the nightlife.
Queenstown Restaurants
Queenstown has a huge diversity of dining opportunities to cater to the many tourists. These range from formal restaurants, to cafés, pub meals, and cheap eats in the food courts. There are restaurants serving NZ cuisine as well international eateries such as Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mexican, and Thai.
The
Botswana Butchery on Marine Parade is THE place in town to eat. The upscale décor is gorgeous and you feel like royalty if you sit in one of the throne chairs. The food is outstanding, particularly the steaks. Perhaps resist that you’re in lambing country and go for a good Angus pure ribeye or Rolls Royce eye fillet. If you’re on a diet the desserts are complete cruelty because all the favourites can be found on one fabulous menu: affogato, lemon tart, crème brulee, and date steamed pudding. Botswana Butchery has awesome wines and there are lots of $2000 bottles of wine if you really want to charge up the company account. It’s lucky that the food and wine are superb because the service can be severely lacking, particularly if it’s busy, which it generally is. One night we had an 8:30pm sitting and didn’t get any food until 10pm, not even a morsel of bread. The kitchen couldn’t keep up with the demand, and lots of assertiveness was required to get the attention of the waitress who largely ignored us.
Another popular Queenstown dining institution is
The Cow (Cow Lane off Beach St). This old dairy has been lovingly restored and serves up gourmet pizzas and pasta. This is a very social place because the tables are shared, and if you have to wait for a table, the bar is also a festive place to hang out.
Les Alpes Patisserie Restaurant & Wine Cellar (16 Church St) serves up delightful French Mountain cuisine. The fare includes some classics such as Savoyarde, la raclette, and la fondue les escargots, as well as other authentic French dishes. The furnishings are homely and include the characteristic red and white table cloths, and the staff are really friendly and the service impeccable.
The Bunker is another upscale Queenstown restaurant (Cow Lane), and due to its popularity it’s often booked out. The chic menu includes specialities such as Paua (abalone) ravioli. Upstairs is a smart bar with great wines, a diverse cocktail list, comfie couches, and a cranking fire in winter.
For a relaxed meal, head to the
Ballarat Trading Co. in the mall. This restored pub and restaurant serves up a large range of meals and has great cocktails. They also have wireless internet so this is a good spot to catch up on the emails.
A dining option that combines a classic Queenstown tourist activity is the
Skyline Restaurant, which is perched up above Queenstown and accessed via a gondola. The restaurant offers amazing panoramic views over the town, lake and surrounding mountains. It is open for lunch and dinner offering buffet-style dining.
Another novelty dining option is the Walter Peak tours to a sheep station on the historic Earnslaw steamboat. See the
Earnslaw tours page for more information.
Casual & Daytime Dining in Queenstown
During the day the café culture flourishes. Even during winter the crowds sit outside and enjoy a latte or beer. Alternatively diners sit inside in front of open fires.
Fergburger in Shotover Street is an icon of Queenstown, selling a large range of yummy takeaway burgers. Chances are that you’ll have to queue for a long time to get a burger because this place is really trendy. One of the Fergburger mottos is “Ferg Loves You”, probably because of the millions he’s made through selling an endless number of hamburgers to the tourists. A couple of similar type burger places have popped up in Queenstown, but they can’t compete with the original and the best.
Breakfast dining options in Queenstown are limited because many of the cafes don’t open until brunch or lunch time. Thankfully McCafe and Starbucks are open early for skiers heading off to the slopes who are in need of a caffeine fix.
Queenstown Nightlife & Bars
Queenstown provides plenty of options for après and nightlife in the form of wine bars, pubs with DJs, nite clubs, garden bars, and old-fashioned pubs. There are establishments to suit all age groups and tastes from the high heeled fur-wearing set to the happy-go-lucky backpacker.
A gorgeous little bar is
Bardeaux in the laneway between Searle Lane and the Mall. It is refined, small and intimate. Sit at the bar or on one of the comfie armchairs or couches. The cocktail and wine list is extensive and they also serve up snacks, tapas and cheese platters.
Across the lane is the
Minibar which is nice for a quiet drink. Nearby is the Searle Lane Social Bar and Restaurant. This is good for a feed but the open layout of the bar detracts from the atmosphere somewhat.
For a laid-back drink or meal,
Pog Mahones is a very cosy Irish Pub that backs onto the waterfront.
Après is particularly happening at
Brazz, partly because of good happy hour specials. The crowd is very mixed and the place is generally packed.
Nearby is
Guilty, an upmarket bar set in the old courthouse of Queenstown. This bar is suited to the trendy set and those with tired legs who want a drink in seated comfort. The tapas here are yummy and they also serve full meals.
For a party scene, head to
World Bar (Shotover Street).
There is also a small casino as well as an ice-bar at Steamer Wharf. The temperatures in Queenstown are too warm to have an authentic ice-bar purely made of ice, so they have to make do with some man-made refrigeration.